Laws for Cyberbullying

According to StopBullying.gov, "although all states have laws requiring schools to respond to bullying, many states do not include cyberbullying under these laws or specify the role schools should lay in responding to bullying that takes place outside of school".

All 50 states address bullying differently. Some have establishes laws, policies, and regulations. Most states implement a bullying policy.

Criminal Sanction - Almost every state has laws that expressly criminalize electronic forms of harassment. The only states that don’t are Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

School Sanction - In 45 states, bullying laws include provisions empowering schools to discipline students appropriately. The exceptions here are Alabama, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, and Nevada.

School Policy - In every state except Montana, the bullying law requires schools to have a formal policy to identify bullying and discuss the possible disciplinary responses.

Off-Campus Behavior - Federal law allows schools to discipline students for off-campus behavior that substantially disrupts the learning environment, and 16 states have statutes to that effect as well. 

According to rasmussen.edu, "many cyberbullying cases wind up getting prosecuted as harassment. Some cases result in civil court, while others might warrant criminal charges and prosecution for hate crimes, impersonation, harassment, cyberbullying and violations under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).

In the end, there should always be a consequence from cyberbullying.